I’ve always been a make up and a MAC aficionado but I think I’ve always accepted that a make up artist’s touch is different and so much better than my own. My own strokes don’t even come close.
Contrary to popular teaching, in my school we were taught to wear make up in 5th grade – a fact that always comes as a shock to those who grew up in Catholic schools and stricter premises. So I thought I’ve always had the upper hand in terms of application and knowing my face – what works, what doesn’t, which shades flatter, which ones scare, and so on. But the more I’ve gotten to work with make up artists, the more I realized my knowledge is pretty basic and my technique almost non-existent.
The number escapes me but I know only a very small percentage of Filipinas actually wear make up and a good chunk of it touch lipstick alone. The good news is MAC, a favorite make up brand, has taken notice and has come up with MAC Instant Artistry – a series of short and easy video tutorials to teach us, the not-so-beauty-adept, about professional tricks and tips that we can do ourselves. The videos are really quick, about a minute or two each, and are divided into categories – eyes, lips, face, etc. They tackle day-to-night eye make up, blush with depth and dimension, sculpted lips, lived-in eyeliner and more. I was taught the day to night eyeshadow look by artist Raf. He dabbed a generous amount of eyeliner, blended it towards the middle of the lid, added a shade of powder eyeshadow in the middle and a dab of a lighter, more glittery one on top for shiny specks. You can view the tutorial video below.
MAC is taking it a step further though with a pop-up installation in SM Megamall’s Fashion Hall Atrium where guests can browse the videos via iPad, ask the make up artists themselves for tips and have those tips done on them. There are also demos with a model so if you’re a bit shy – though there really is no reason to be – you can watch and take note instead. Make up chairs are abound, tools and tricks of the trade are up for grabs so I suggest you drop by. The booth is only until Tuesday, November 18. Learn as much as you can and render the professional’s touch on a daily basis.
I know I will.
Will be trying the Sculpted Lips technique soon with these tools below – Boldly Bare Lip Pencil, Captive Lipstick and a lip brush. As a lipstick girl, I’m so excited. 
